A Wick carer has been given a warning after he carried a Stanley knife with him while caring for vulnerable people.
Alasdair Robertson was put under investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for his behaviour in 2024.
At the time, he was employed as a care home worker with Pulteneytown People’s Project in Wick.
The recently released report states that on several occasions, between January and April 2024, Mr Robertson carried a Stanley knife with him to work, “without reasonable cause”.
The report notes that Mr Robertson is understood to have carried the knife for self-defence.
He had attended several clients’ homes while in possession of the knife and showed one client photographs of himself with the weapon.
Actions would have caused “fear and alarm”
The SSSC report stated: “Commenting to a supported person that you keep a weapon at home would likely have caused them fear and alarm.
“Showing them photographs of you with that weapon and also in a state of undress raises concerns about your values and your ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
“The photographs were likely to have been seen as distasteful and indirectly threatening and would have placed the supported person at risk of emotional harm.”
When confronted by his employer, the report reveals that Mr Robertson lied about the number of times he had carried the knife to work, saying he had only done it once.
The SSSC panel found that statement to be untrue.
Carer has expressed “regret and remorse”
“Concealing the truth from your employer meant that they were unable to assess the risk you had posed,” they said.
“They had the right to expect that you would be transparent with them, and in not being so, you were dishonest.”
Mr Robertson admitted to possessing the weapon and concealing the truth from his employer.
He also expressed regret and remorse for his actions.
The panel was satisfied he now understood the risks.
They added that his behaviour amounted to “very poor errors of judgment”.
In conclusion, the SSSC handed down a warning to remain on Mr Robertson’s file for the next two years.
Pulteneytown People’s Project has been contacted for comment.
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